


Don't Tame Your Demons, but Keep 'Em on a Leash

by tangymustard (zestymayonaisse)



Category: Senjou no Valkyria | Valkyria Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Ending, Brain Surgery, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Tags may be added if needed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-04 03:25:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16338917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zestymayonaisse/pseuds/tangymustard
Summary: A rewrite of the ending to Valkyria Chronicles 4, from the perspective of Chiara and Nikola.





	Don't Tame Your Demons, but Keep 'Em on a Leash

**Author's Note:**

> This is posted on behalf of a friend who doesn't have an Ao3 account; I simply edited it. Considering their actions, voices, and behavior make more sense as child-like, their ages in this fic are around 15-16 for Nikola and 13-14 for Chiara. They also probably have something of an older-younger sister relationship. These two girls deserved better than the story they got, but hopefully this fic can make up for it a little.

     As Chiara slowly limped toward the Hafen, her already frayed mind began to unravel. Up to this point she had never questioned her orders. She had dutifully worked to earn Belgar’s praise. Now in the face of oblivion, Chiara felt a soft _snap_ in her brain. It was one of the most agonizing headaches she had ever experienced. Breathing heavily, on the verge of tears, and barely able to see, Chiara realized she did not want to die. Standing next to the Hafen, she felt entirely insignificant. The armored hull of the beast was easily a foot taller then the small soldier. Chiara wondered if the bomb in her could even damage the monstrosity. Would her death even matter? The young girl’s thumb began to tremor over the big red button. She did not want to press it, but Belgar had made it clear he had no use for a failure. _No more failures._ Chiara was well aware she had, in fact, failed, but her brain refused to admit it was her fault. She had given her all to throw back the invaders from the Capital. Her body was mangled; the blinding pain made it difficult to focus. Her panicked brain started to throw out any memory that would pull her back from the brink. Finally something became abundantly clear in Chiara’s mind: despite saying how much he loved her and wanted her to succeed, Belgar’s love only extended as far as the laboratory. Where was Belgar now as she was struggling to even stay on her feet? Suddenly, a white-hot, all-consuming rage filled Chiara. She threw down the detonator and stomped on it with all of her might.

     Realizing what she had just done, Chiara screamed something incoherent at Forseti and began to half-run half-limp away from the tank. Her whole body begged her to stop, but that would mean certain death. The adrenaline in her body allowed her to ignore her blinding pain long enough that she was able to make it to the cover of an alleyway. She was fortunate that the Hafen’s machine gun did not tear her in half, but the tank did not even seem to take notice of her. The sounds of battle echoed throughout the city, but in the cover of the alleyway Chiara could only hear the sounds of her own heartbeat. Her hands were shaking erratically and she was struggling to focus. Leaning against the cold stone, the real weight of her choice began to dawn on her. She had disobeyed Belgar’s order; he would kill her for sure. Her anger resurfaced and she spun around. Chiara punched the wall with all the force her battered state could muster. Huge mistake—pain shot right up her arm and caused her to crumple to the snowy ground. Her knuckles began to bleed, joining the other wounds on her body. Realizing she might actually be dying, she quickly checked for bullet wounds. To her partial relief she could not find any. Not like she could do anything about them if she found one. She had already ran out of Belgar’s medicine. She rolled over on her back and gasped in agony.

     Something must have come loose because as she looked up, the world became fuzzy and she began to whimper. The idea of dying was something Chiara could not comprehend; her brain panicked at the thought of nonexistence. Suddenly, thoughts of her training with Nikola flooded her mind. Nikola must have seen it all. Chiara could almost imagine her partner’s disdainful gaze and cruel words at her cowardliness. The thought was distressing to her. Aside from Belgar, Chiara had only ever sought Nikola’s approval. Nikola had not always been so cruel, but Belgar’s adjustments had left her entirely broken and unreasonable. Chiara had also felt her own concept of self being slowly locked away. Every adjustment took another piece away. Her hobbies, favorite foods and even music had all been wiped away. It was a terrifying feeling, slowly becoming a prisoner in her own body. Violence became her only outlet to cope with her increasing fears of ending up like Nikola. Interrupting her own train of thought, memories of her first adjustment came bursting back.

 

 

     Chiara had only been five years old. Doctor Belgar had only adopted her a year earlier. Bought would be a more appropriate word, though. She could barely remember her biological parents; the only part she remembered was being hungry all the time. Her father sold her to Doctor Belgar for only a handful of gold. At least, that is what Chiara told herself; her shattered memories made it difficult to piece together the events. What Chiara could remember was the first year she had spent with Belgar being one of the happiest of her life. Belgar doted on her and did everything in his power to make Chiara feel loved. It instilled a passionate devotion to the doctor. Chiara began to see him as her father who loved her. Her total devotion had made her a perfect candidate for Belgar’s personal project. One day, Belgar told her it was time for her first adjustment and for her to fulfill her true purpose. Chiara could not understand what the Doctor’s cryptic words meant. She was strapped down to a medical gurney in a sterile laboratory. All she could remember was how afraid she felt. Worst of all, she was only anesthetized for part of the procedure. When Belgar made several “adjustments” to her brain, she had to be awake in order to accurately map her nerves. She had been injected with a thick metallic serum that left her paralyzed but lucid, though the serum did not stop tears from running down her face. She could not understand what she had done wrong. When it was all done, Belgar unfastened her restraints and left her curled up on the table. All Chiara could grasp at the time was she felt wrong. She might have even accepted death, if it could get rid of how terrible she felt. It was then she felt a gentle hand on her head. It was extremely soft and felt far less mechanical then the doctor’s own.

     “The first time is always the worst,” a quiet, monotone voice said. Chiara looked up, blinking in the harsh laboratory light. A blonde girl with deep, piercing blue eyes stood near the operating table holding a cup. The girl’s blonde hair was ruffled and poorly cut, suggesting that she had tried to style it in a mirror. The girl offered the cup to her. Chiara sat up and took the cup from the girl. “Its medicine. It will make your feel better. Doctor Belgar made it himself,” the girl said. She took a seat next to Chiara on the bed. The liquid was thick and colorless but Chiara drank it all. It tasted awful but she felt a sense of warmth from it. Her pain also started to subside.  
  
     “My name is Nikola. You must be Chiara. Lord Belgar says we will be partners.” Chiara did not say anything because she was still in shock about the whole event. Nikola pulled back her blonde hair to reveal a massive surgical scar on the back of her skull. “You have one too, now,” Nikola said calmly. Chiara startled reach back and felt a bandage on her head. Nikola smiled, “We are friends now.” She then proceeded to hug Chiara tenderly. Had Chiara been less dazed she would have appreciated the kindness shown by Nikola, for it was one of the last time they were anything but cruel to each other.

 

 

     In the alley of Schwartzgrad, Chiara reached up to the beads in her hair, a gift from Nikola. Nikola had given them to Chiara for her seventh birthday. By that time they had both been receiving extensive combat training and Belgar begun to encourage a rivalry between the two girls. The gift had taken Chiara by surprise and she had struggled to thank Nikola. Chiara greatly regretted not giving her a similar gift, because the beads were the last act of kindness Nikola bestowed on Chiara. Later a series of brutal adjustments finally broke Nikola down. Nikola’s gentleness and soft demeanor had been replaced with cold malice. She became verbally abusive, regularly reminding Chiara that she was stupid and useless. The abrupt shift in Nikola’s personality was frightening to her. Worst of all was the fact Belgar acted as though nothing had changed. Chiara realized no one was going to save her and began to act desperately out of naive, childlike hope that if she earned Belgar’s praise he wouldn’t see the need to adjust her further.

     In light of her current situation, it all felt so unfair that Chiara felt tears coming to her eyes. Belgar’s adjustments were really breaking down. She had felt emotionally deadened for years, but now she felt the crushing fear of her worst nightmare come to life. She was entirely on her own and no one was going to help her. Belgar excluded, no one in X-0 even seemed concerned about Chiara and Nikola’s plight. Everyone seemed more worried about the stupid, useless valkyrie. Chiara’s only possible ally was Nikola. They were stronger together, after all—she had to hope Nikola would listen. But getting up was its own battle. The coldness of the alleyway’s street was slowly seeping into her whole body. She could no longer feel her feet, and she knew getting up would hurt so much more than laying on the cold cobblestone. She was so tired. Perhaps dying in the snow was an appropriate end to her tragic life.

     “No.. Not yet,” Chiara said out loud trying to galvanize herself. If she died here then Nikola would soon follow. They really could not function without each other, despite their rivalry. Thinking of Nikola caused Chiara’s heart to swell. She wiped away her tears, and struggled to her feet. “Nikola… Got to find… Nikola,” she said, taking a step forward. She almost collapsed again but screamed out in anger. She mustered all her strength and slapped herself as hard she could. For some reason the stinging pain in her cheek allowed Chiara to focus. While it did not help her ignore the rest of her pain, it cleared her mind. She began to push herself forward.

 

 

     Standing on the roof of the cathedral, Nikola’s cheeks were chafed by the frozen wind. Her vantage point had allowed Nikola to clearly witness Chiara’s betrayal. The building provided a clear view of the whole plaza. Anyone looking at the small girl would assume she had felt nothing about Chiara’s actions. But in reality, Nikola’s mind could not process what she had just witnessed. In an instant Chiara had upturned the whole world. Belgar’s order was sacrosanct: “No more failures.” Chiara, though, had failed, and instead of destroying herself, she had chosen to flee. Nikola stood dazed as she watched Chiara’s red beret disappear into a nearby alley. Even the calm Forseti seemed at a loss for words. Despite his detached facial expression it was clear he was quite angry because his black glove tightly gripped his cane as if Chiara’s survival had drastically upset his plans.

     “So much for weapon just needing to be tuned properly,” Forseti scoffed. “Lets go Nikola.” Nikola loathed him more the anyone else in X-0, but she could not refuse an order. She dutifully fell in line behind Forseti. Her mind was split between concern for Chiara’s well being and total resentment of her dereliction of duty. Nikola had always considered her partner a moron who could not be trusted with even basic tasks. But at the same time, she had great admiration for Chiara’s impulsive nature because the girl was always trying to change their situation by earning Belgar’s favor. It had been Chiara’s idea to try to capture the Centurion a second time. Nikola deep down regretted how cruelly she had denigrated Chiara after they failed to capture the vessel. Now somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Nikola was scared she would never see Chiara again. Suddenly Nikola began to tense up. She painfully gritted her teeth and clenched her fist uncomfortably. Belgar’s electrocutions had made her unable to even consider disobeying an order. She pushed all sympathy for her former partner out of her head. Nikola wouldn’t back away from her purpose like Chiara had.

 

 

     Chiara stealthily crept toward the Centurion. The fires from the previous battle were still burning and the smell of smoke sat heavily over the plaza. The sounds of dying men could also be heard echoing off the high stone walls of the Plaza’s many buildings. The sun hung low as ashamed of the suffering it shone upon. Chiara’s head was still pounding, but thanks to the frigid air her nerves had steadied. Crouching to avoid being spotted was also reeking havoc on her wounded leg, but being spotted was out of the question so Chiara bit her lip to focus. She had not been filled in on Forseti’s plan so she had decided to trust her gut. The mammoth of a ship had been Belgar’s white whale. It was logical to assume Forseti and Nikola would be aboard. Finding Nikola was Chiara’s only goal so she hoped to avoid any conflict. As luck would have it, most of Squad E was already trying to stop Forseti, so Chiara managed to get onto the Centurion unbothered. Inside she felt entirely dwarfed by the size of the interior of the ship. She was desperate to stop Nikola from doing something reckless. So, she pushed herself to move faster. Once again luck was on her side and she managed to entirely avoid any combat with the federation soldiers guarding the engine room. Not that she could not handle a couple of federates.

     The engine room itself was much more active then the floors above. The giant pistons in the middle of the room consecutively let off steam. The sound of boots on metal echoed throughout the room. It was by far not a quiet scene. Forseti’s men were engaged in a prolonged firefight with Squad E and it was clear which way the tide was turning. Whatever Forseti was planning, he would have to do it quick. Chiara was already extremely apprehensive because she had dropped her dunkel in the chaos of her panicked escape. All she had left were her two knives and single grenade. However, the average X-0 soldier would not be hostile to her. Aside from Squad E, no one in the engine posed an active threat to Chiara. At least, she hoped Nikola wouldn’t pose a threat.  
  
     It did not take a genius to know Nikola would be the primary obstacle Forseti would use to slow down Squad E. Chiara sought out the loudest part of the fighting, listening intently for the sound of a dunkel. The deafening gunfire made listening a difficult task. Every shot echoed off the metallic interior of the room. It was then she heard the trademark ping of a bolt slamming into metal followed by a slightly unhinged laugh. It had to be Nikola—she headed in the direction of the noise.

     Nikola stood in the center of the reactor room, clutching her dunkel in one hand and a detonator in the other. She was wearing a wide-eyed tense expression while her eyes continual darted around the room as if searching intently for someone. Compared to Chiara’s battered appearance, Nikola’s uniform still seemed relatively untouched by the ongoing battle. Her purple beret was one of the only blotches of color in the backdrop of steel. One of her knives was missing, along with one of her spiked knee-pads, indicating, if anything, she might have been blown backwards by an explosive in the earlier fighting. Anyone else looking at Nikola would assume she was unhinged, but Chiara could tell that Nikola was under extreme duress. Her movements were jerky and erratic. To put it simply, Nikola was terrified. The detonator was a bad sign. Chiara could only guess what was going through her head.

     “Nikola!” Chiara shouted as she stepped out in front of her friend. Nikola’s eyes narrowed and she stared right at her. Chiara could not read Nikola’s expression, but she did notice the girl’s shoulders relax. Chiara reached for the hilt of one her knives. Worst case scenario she would throw it to knock the detonator out of Nikola’s hand. Chiara, despite her battered state, tried to muster out in an authoritative tone, “Stop this. I just want to talk.” Hand still on the hilt of the knife, Chiara moved closer while eyeing the detonator.

     Nikola’s expression quickly changed into annoyance. She furrowed her brow and said icily, “You really must be stupid. Do you hope I will kill you and spare you Belgar’s wrath?” Chiara winced. It was clear that Nikola was not going to be reasonable. However, Nikola had not moved to attack, which Chiara took as a good sign. Nikola was normally very decisive so her lack of action indicated an internal struggle. Chiara wracked her brain to come up with something to say.

     Chiara anxiously gripped the knife hilt. “Nikola, I am not your enemy. You know that,” her voice wavered, immediately betraying her lack of confidence. She continued, “I want to leave. Just the two of us.” Nikola remained unfazed by the younger girl’s appeal. “What? So you expect me to just abandon Lord Belgar? I am not some useless coward.” Nikola focused intently on Chiara’s face. The girl was haggard and her hunch betrayed the fact she was struggling to even stand. Blood streamed down from her temple, mixing into her red eyeliner. Chiara’s face was covered in the dust of battle and her once spotless uniform was now soaked in melted snow and tears. Even her flak vest had a large dent in it indicating a high caliber round had ricocheted off of it. Only Chiara’s red beret had seemed to have escape the ravages of battle. Looking at Chiara just pissed Nikola off, although a small voice deep down was begging her to listen.

     The sounds of battle were starting to die down. Immediately, Nikola’s demeanor shifted from calm and collected to one of panic. Her hands began to tremble. She looked a Chiara with an expression of a child realizing they had been caught. She spoke softly, failing to keep her voice from cracking, “Hey Chiara… I think I failed.” Nikola was sure that Forseti was probably dead. In the dim blue glow of the ragnite engine, Nikola pulled up the detonator and her voice was rife with anxiety. “We are both failures… Perhaps we should go together.” Nikola began to smile. “Don’t worry Chiara. I will be right here with you.” Nikola’s finger hovered over the red button. Chiara realized she would only have one chance.

     She immediately leaped forward and threw her whole body onto Nikola. The two of them slammed onto the metal grating with a heavy thud. The two girls grappled with each other as Chiara frantically tried to wrestle the detonator out of Nikola’s hand. Considering Chiara’s already wounded state it was a very difficult task. Mustering the last of her strength Chiara managed to pin Nikola down. Chiara used the last dredges of adrenaline in her system to slam Nikola’s arm into the steel railing several times. After the third heavy blow, Nikola dropped the detonator and it fell over the edge. Chiara breathing heavily continued to sit on Nikola’s stomach to ensure she could not move. Nikola looked up, dazed, but Chiara could not meet her eyes.  
  
     Nikola spoke quietly, “Why? This our purpose. This is what we were meant to do.” She sounded totally dejected. Chiara saw her muttering, too quiet to hear over the sounds of fighting and machinery behind them, but she thought she picked out the words ‘sorry’ and ‘Lord Belgar’. Her blue eyes were devoid of all emotion. This did not surprise Chiara, but she had come too far to back down.

     A flare of anger left Chiara feeling lightheaded. “Do not _fuck_ with me!” she yelled, voice hoarse. She brought her fist down on the grating near Nikola’s head. Pain shot up her arm and caused Chiara to recoil. But she could not stop now, not when Nikola was finally paying attention. Blood from Chiara’s face trickled onto Nikola, forming small dots on her cheek. Clutching her damaged arm, Chiara regained herself. She spoke softly, “We have already failed. We are here right now because Belgar has already decided to get rid of us.” The very thought pained her as she spoke, but she continued, “Nikola… I- I love you. Please don’t throw your life away. I need you.” Nikola looked up stunned. Chiara started to feel faint; before she could continue, she slid off Nikola and collapsed onto the steel grate with a metallic clang. In the blackness, she thought she heard Nikola say something and felt hands grip her uniform.

 

 

     Nikola tried to shake Chiara awake but it was no use. She just sat there in a daze, unable to focus. Her head was hurting immensely. Chiara had been the only person in the world who had shared her misery everyday. So Chiara’s words did mean something to Nikola. Even in her shattered state, she cared about Chiara. Sitting next to her friend’s body, she felt at a loss of what to do. Horrific memories from her early years under Belgar began to flood her thoughts. Nikola desperately tried to push them away. Chiara never knew how much Nikola had tried to shield Chiara from Belgar’s adjustments. Perhaps it was out of a naive hope that Belgar would be satisfied with only her obedience. Even as she felt herself being locked away in her mind, part of her still tried to protect Chiara. It was why, despite the risk, she had assisted in their second reckless attack on the Centurion.

     Nikola was not stupid. She had been under Belgar’s thumb long enough to know Chiara was right. They had been thrown away, and no amount of atonement would matter in Belgar’s eyes. He had deemed their whole existence a failure and would rather devote resources to studying ragnite implosion. This was why the final adjustment had been so much more brutal then all the previous ones. Nikola began to tense up thinking about the whole procedure. It had be performed entirely without anesthesia. She considered herself lucky to pass out during the operation. The follow up of electroshock was what finally broke down what had remained of her free will. It was Belgar’s last Hail Mary. He wanted to see how far he could push them both. When she awoke, Nikola felt as though she a prisoner in her own body. It was like she was on auto-pilot. All she could do was follow orders. The words “No more failures” were burned into her mind. She clenched her jaw. She had thanked Belgar profusely for the operation.

     Nikola was amazed that Chiara had somehow broken free. Perhaps she was stronger then Nikola realized. But her own internal struggle was dominated by Chiara’s words—“I love you.” Every time Nikola heard the same words from Belgar she would get sick to her stomach. However, hearing the same words from Chiara left her desperate to reciprocate them. Their bond of shared misery was stronger then any loyalty to Belgar. Even after all her undeniable cruelty, Chiara had sought her out and tried to save her. Nikola’s hands began to shake. Even in her agitated state Nikola knew she wanted to stay with Chiara. They had a chance, something they had never had, to choose their own path. Nikola’s brain began to lay out all possible options. Chiara was right; going back to Belgar would be a death sentence. An intrusive thought about killing Chiara flashed across Nikola’s mind and she felt her stomach churn. She just could not fathom it. Besides, killing Chiara would not guarantee Belgar’s forgiveness. Which left escape as their only remaining option.

     Chiara began to stir, pulling Nikola away from her thoughts. Chiara groaned and half sat up. Nikola had not realized that tears were streaming down her cheeks. She leaned forward and awkwardly wrapped her arms around Chiara. The shorter girl was stunned. For a moment she just sat there, then slowly embraced Nikola. Tender moments had been so alien in their relationship that neither girl wanted to let go. But the dead silence that hung over the engine room indicated the battle was over. Forseti must have been killed, along with the rest of his men. There was no one who could give them orders anymore. It was a miracle neither girls had been spotted. They needed to get off the ship.

     Nikola relinquished Chiara and stood up. She wanted to say so many things right now, but surviving was the top priority. Softly she whispered, “Can you stand?” A stupid question; it was clear Chiara could barely move. Nikola tried to sling Chiara’s arm over her shoulder. Chiara grunted in pain and slid back to the ground.

     “Don’t tell me I have to carry you. You are not that weak are you?” Nikola said, not intending to sound as harsh as she did. Chiara’s ego seemed to kick in and she tried to stand this time, swearing profusely under her breath. But her legs gave out again and she groaned. Nikola sighed and knelt down. Chiara put her arms around Nikola’s neck and tried to make a snarky comment. Nikola had to carry her dunkel as well which proved a unique task to juggle in itself. She proved strong enough to carry her comrade and started to make her way toward the exit of the engine room.

     “By the way, did you gain some weight?” Nikola said in a slightly serious tone. Chiara bit her in response. Nikola flinched and hissed, trying not yell in case they were spotted. Goddamn, Chiara had some sharp teeth.

     It proved to be an easy task to escape the centurion. Most of Squad E was reeling from confronting Forseti. The chaos caused by the rest of X-0’s withdrawal provided much needed cover for the two girls’ escape. Emerging from the ship, the two lieutenants had quietly worried they would find even more federation soldiers. Instead, though, Schwartzgrad’s plaza sat eerily quiet. Several nurses tended to some injured federation troopers. It was clear the rest of X-0 had withdrawn from the capital itself. Nikola helped Chiara over to the rubble of one of the collapsed archways. Chiara slumped against the cold stone, breathing heavily. Nikola offered her a canteen of water and set about checking her friend’s wounds.

     Chiara nosily gulped the water. Nikola’s examination was more thorough than Chiara’s earlier one. Once Nikola was satisfied, she stood up. “You have had worse.” She motioned to Chiara’s most glaring injuries.

     “Like hell I have! I think that sniper bitch actually hit something important,” Chiara snapped back. She was surprised to hear a girlish giggle from Nikola.

     The blond girl reached into her pocket and pulled out some of Belgar’s medicine. “Here, take mine. I don’t have much left but its something.” She handed the bottle to Chiara who immediately knocked back the bottle. Nikola quickly snatched it back, “I did not say all of it!” She glanced back at the wounded Federation soldiers. There was a small box of medical supplies laying out in the open. Once again, luck was on their side.  
  
     Nikola placed her dunkel with Chiara. “I am going to get some bandages. Try not to die, alright?” Chiara offered a half-ass thumbs up and started to pick at one of the wounds on her thigh. Nikola scolded her, and reminded Chiara they did not want to amputate anything. Chiara grimaced at the thought and stopped picking at her wound. Instead she started to amuse herself by throwing rocks at the corpse of a dead imperial soldier. The rocks bounced of the deceased soldier’s helmet with a soft ping. Morbid, but Nikola figured it would not attract any attention so she did not say anything.

     Stealthily, she made her way over to the supplies, which were leaned up against the base of the fallen statue. The nurses were on the other side and hidden from view. Nikola could still hear them trying to comfort the wounded soldiers. Suddenly a loud siren started to wail and Nikola looked around, bewildered. The announcement said something about a ceasefire and all Imperial soldiers were to stop fighting. Nikola sighed with relief. Perhaps she and Chiara did have a chance to escape. Though, she briefly considered what this meant for Belgar’s own ambitions. She immediately pushed any further thoughts about Belgar out of her mind. They were going escape this war. Whatever the old doctor was up to now was irrelevant. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a group of Imperial soldiers walking toward the center of plaza. They wore the red and black uniforms of Klaus’s tank company. She stopped pilfering the medical supplies and decided to sneak into a better position to eavesdrop. Sure enough, there was Klaus, Crymaria, and the valkyrie’s damnable wolf. Klaus stood tall and confident despite looking slightly more tired the usual. His air seemed to contrast greatly with Crymaria’s timidness. Seeing the valkyrie annoyed Nikola; in her mind the useless woman was the reason for so much of her and Chiara’s suffering. The pair seemed to be talking to the survivors of Squad E. Nikola loathed them both so much she would not even consider asking them for help. She quickly grabbed some remaining supplies and returned to Chiara.

     Patching Chiara’s wounds was fairly straightforward. To Chiara’s own shock, she had actually been shot. Luckily the bullet had passed cleanly through her side, but the tear in the uniform was so large Nikola was baffled how they had both missed it. The hardest part was removing the bits of shrapnel that seemed to have lodged themselves everywhere. Nikola even elected to leave some embedded until they could find a more competent medic. Chiara did her best to act tough, but eventually she started grunting and swearing when Nikola began disinfecting the wounds. After some struggling Nikola was finally able to clean and bandage everything. She wound up setting Chiara’s right arm in a splint fashioned out of some nearby wood. Chiara looked better than she did but still seemed exhausted. That wasn’t particularly surprising considering what she had went through. Nikola sat down next to Chiara and took a sip from the canteen.

     “What did that announcement mean?” Chiara said confused.

     “The war is over, I assume.” Nikola said quietly. Chiara seemed mad again for some reason but did not say anything. The she leaned against Nikola.

     “Thank you,” Chiara said under her breath. Nikola did not respond—not out malice, but because she was still coming to terms with her choice. She had chosen Chiara over Belgar. Instead of using the time to make plans, Nikola joined Chiara in throwing rocks at the corpse.

     Suddenly the sound of scraping metal interrupted the heavy silence. The horrible noise was coming from the Centurion, and from their position the two girls watched as the giant ship began to be pulled backward toward the crystal sea. Nikola immediately understood that Belgar was making his move, which confirmed her belief that he had no use for them. Both girls agreed to risk going to plaza’s center for a better view. Nikola stood and offered Chiara her hand. Chiara pushed it away and staggered to her feet. Nikola still wound up with Chiara’s arm slung over her shoulder, but at least Chiara could partially walk on her own.

     The only people left in the plaza were Klaus and Crymaria. Distant gunfire interrupted by loud cannon blasts could be heard in the direction of the Centurion. Klaus was watching the spectacle unfold with his hand on his chin, and Crymaria was sitting behind him petting Fenrir. Nikola quietly climbed up the rubble of the plaza statue behind the two adults. They seemed oblivious to the two girls’ presence; Fenrir seemed to be antsy but the wolf did not make a sound. She offered her hand to Chiara and this time Chiara took it. They stood above and watched as Belgar’s colossal submarine, the only home two girls had ever known, was making a break for the ocean and dragging the Centurion in tow.

     “Looks like we can’t back out now,” Chiara said out loud. Nikola slapped her hand over Chiara’s mouth, but it was too late. Crymaria jumped up and looked up, startled. Fenrir began to growl menacingly with eyes fixed on the two girls. Klaus turned around slowly and cocked his head to one side. He was more confused then threatened. Realizing who it was, Crymaria immediately took a step behind Klaus and glared. Nikola and Chiara moved down to level ground. Klaus’s sheer size dwarfed them both and they could not help but feel intimidated. Chiara, noticing Crymaria’s blatant hostility, took a step behind Nikola. It must have been a comical scene, two grown adults and a wolf staring down two battered children.

     Nikola nervously reached for her dunkel while speaking, “We are not looking to fight.” She was more concerned about Crymaria’s wolf then the two adults. Klaus seemed to be the only person not uneasy with the situation.

     Scratching his head, he spoke in a calm voice, “I am surprised see you to here and not...”

     Nikola coldly interrupted, “Not what? Dead?” She could not stand the man. He was such a hypocrite. Always speaking in defense of Crymaria’s humanity while ignoring Nikola and Chiara’s own plight. Chiara’s eyes remained uneasily fixed on Crymaria and Fenrir. “Well, sorry to disappoint you both. We have no intention of dying here,” Nikola said, taking her hands off her dunkel. She knew fighting would only get them killed. The power of the valkyria was not something Nikola wanted to experience first hand. Crymaria seemed taken aback, but mostly relieved that her former tormentors were leaving.

     Klaus, unperturbed by Nikola hostility, put his hand on his chin and asked, “Oh really? Have you to ever even been on your own?” It was an honest question and Nikola furrowed her brow annoyed. It was a fair question—both girls had always been dependent on Belgar for their very existence. After a moment of silence Klaus continued, “If you truly plan to defect… Head to a neutral country. It won’t be easy, but you two seem tough enough.” An odd compliment. Nikola looked at Chiara, who offered a small nod of acknowledgment. They were set, then. Nothing else needed to be said.

     Nikola turned to leave, but Chiara stayed firmly fixed in place. She spoke in a measured tone, “I am sorry for what we did to you.” Chiara was addressing Crymaria. Everyone seemed stunned at the words. Chiara continued, “You are fortunate someone save you. No one was going to save us. After all, we are just weapons right?” Nikola noticed Chiara’s clenched fist was shaking. She was impressed with Chiara’s ability to control her temper. Crymaria was about to respond, but Klaus held up a hand indicating it wasn’t worth it. Besides, was it not the truth? Not a single person ever considered the humanity of the two people in closest proximity to Belgar.

     Chiara addressed Klaus next in an authoritative tone, “If anyone asks you, Lieutenants Graf and Rocino died defending Schwartzgrad.” Klaus gave a sly grin. Chiara then pulled the ISB pin out of her beret and tossed it to Klaus’s feet. She motioned for Nikola to do the same. The two girls then left without another word. Nikola was surprised at the girl’s forethought. Maybe Chiara was not as much of a simpleton as she thought.

     Looking back at the city of Schwartzgrad from the snow-covered ridge gave both girls a profound sense of smallness. They had made the choice to walk away from their duty, but only looking out over the grand city did the weight of their choice really start to set in. In an instant a blinding blue light engulfed part of the city. The shock-wave of the blast caused reached them both and almost knocked Chiara down.

     “Belgar...” Nikola said softly. Her blue eyes conveyed feelings of sadness. Even now, after everything, he was the closest thing to a father they had. Chiara said nothing and instead took Nikola’s hand. They were both alone again. Just as they were when Belgar found them. Now, though, maybe alone wasn’t the truth. They had each other, and together they’d find their own path.


End file.
